Trump’s Defiance of TikTok Ban Prompted Immunity Promises to 10 Tech Companies

US lawyer general Pam Bondi has told astatine slightest 10 tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, that they person “incurred nary liability” for supporting TikTok contempt the national ban connected providing services to nan celebrated video-sharing app, according to letters disclosed connected Thursday.

Under orders from President Donald Trump, Bondi has refused to enforce a rule passed by Congress past twelvemonth that classifies TikTok arsenic a nationalist information consequence because of its ties to China and bars companies from distributing nan app to US consumers.

TikTok tin dodge nan prohibition by reducing nan ownership Chinese entities person successful its US operations, and Trump has described those negotiations arsenic ongoing. But law experts person questioned nan legality of executive orders by Trump that hold enforcement of nan prohibition arsenic those income talks resistance out.

Early this year, TikTok vanished from nan US app stores of Apple and Google aft nan prohibition went into effect. But contempt nan rule still being connected nan books, TikTok returned to nan stores aft conscionable a 26-day hiatus. Several media outlets reported astatine nan clip that Bondi had written to Apple and Google promising they would not look prosecution. But nan letters had not been publically disclosed until Thursday.

Silicon Valley package engineer Tony Tan had sought nan letters nether nan Freedom of Information Act. The Department of Justice initially claimed it did not person records matching Tan’s request. He sued nan department, which ended up releasing respective letters to him connected Thursday.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The disclosures show nan first letters were dated January 30 and sent to 4 companies—Microsoft, Google, Apple, and contented transportation web supplier Fastly. “Google has committed nary usurpation of nan Act and Google has incurred nary liability nether nan Act during nan Covered Period,” past acting lawyer wide James McHenry wrote. “Google whitethorn proceed to supply services to TikTok arsenic contemplated by nan Executive Order without violating nan Act, and without incurring immoderate ineligible liability.”

Bondi took complete arsenic lawyer wide successful early February, and days later Google and Apple separately wrote to her, according to nan released documents. In responses dated February 11, Bondi wrote that “the Department of Justice is besides irrevocably relinquishing immoderate claims nan United States mightiness person had against” nan companies for violating nan TikTok ban.

After Microsoft inquired, it besides received connected March 10 a missive “irrevocably relinquishing immoderate claims.” Similar connection was included successful letters dated March 10 to Amazon, information halfway institution Digital Realty, and compartment telephone work elephantine T-Mobile.

In early April, Trump extended nan negotiating model for a TikTok waste and further delayed enforcement of nan ban. That led to a information of 10 letters connected April 5, including to contented transportation supplier Akamai, unreality vendor Oracle, and TV shaper LG. Among those letters, only nan ones to Apple and Google mentioned nan “irrevocably relinquishing” vow. But 3 days later, Bondi sent a caller type to Microsoft including nan language.

Microsoft and nan different 9 companies didn’t instantly respond to requests for comment.

Tan, who obtained nan letters, past period revenge a lawsuit against Google genitor institution Alphabet accusing it of withholding accusation astir its determination to proceed distributing TikTok connected its Play store. (Google antecedently declined to remark to WIRED connected nan suit.) He worries that nan promises from Bondi are nonbinding and that Trump aliases a early president could extremity up prosecuting tech companies that are presently supporting TikTok. Google could look billions of dollars successful fines if recovered successful usurpation of nan ban.